Virtualization - Basics

Virtualization is the creation of a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, such as an operating system, a server, a storage device or network resources. It is a method of running multiple independent virtual operating systems on a single physical computer.

Computers are vastly underutilized as they run a single operating system and a single application, virtualization lets you run multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine, with each virtual machine sharing the resources of that one physical computer across multiple environments.

You already know a little about virtualization if you have divided your hard drive into different partitions. Different virtual machines can run different operating systems and multiple applications on the same physical computer.

There are 3 different categories of Virtualization,

1. Storage Virtualization: is pooling physical storage from multiple network storage devices so that they appear to be a single storage device. Storage virtualization is commonly used in Storage Area Networks SANs.

2. Network Virtualization: is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity. A virtual network treats all hardware and software in the network as a single collection of resources, which can be accessed regardless of physical boundaries. In simple terms, network virtualization allows each authorized user to share network resources from a single computer.

3. Server Virtualization: Server machines that host files and applications for computer networks are powerful machines. Computer network administrators usually dedicate each server to a specific application or task. Most Servers use only a small fraction of their overall processing capabilities. The problem that network administrators can face is when computer network gets larger and complex, the servers begin to take up a lot of physical space. Server virtualization can resolve this issue. By using specially designed software, an administrator can convert one physical server into multiple virtual machines.

    There are processor manufacturers like Intel and AMD offer processors with the
    capability of supporting virtual servers already built in. The hardware does not
    actually create virtual servers, software’s are required to create one.

The usual goal of virtualization is to centralize administrative tasks while improving scalability and work loads. Virtualization helps in cost saving and provides flexibility.